Ornamental pools, ponds, and similar water-filled structures are familiar fixtures in many homes and businesses. These bodies of water provide a pleasant environment for the occupants of the adjacent structure and, in some cases, create habitats for birds, small mammals, and various reptiles and amphibians. However, because these bodies of water are closed systems, some mechanism must be established to keep the water that is contained therein from becoming fouled and stagnant.
In a conventional arrangement, the water in the pond is continuously circulated through some combination of skimmers and filters, thereby reducing the level of particulate mater suspended within the water. Additionally, such water movement is usually designed to oxygenate the water, thereby making it possible for the pond to support aquatic life, such as fish, water plants, amphibians and such.
One filtering apparatus that is commonly used in connection with captive pools is a surface skimmer. As is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, skimmers are designed to draw surface water from the pond and into its interior where leaves and other floating debris are removed by filtration. The pond water is conventionally drawn into the interior of the skimmer by a submersible pump. Typically, the filtering function of the skimmer is performed by a basket, net, or other strainer which contains a coarse mesh which is designed to entrap the larger particles within the water that pass though it. The particles that have been entrapped within the strainer are then later removed by manually extracting the filtering element from the skimmer and emptying its contents into a waste receptacle.
It is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art that skimmers of the sort that are typically used in ornamental ponds are designed to be installed outside of the pond perimeter. In a conventional arrangement, an externally situated skimmer will be buried in the ground adjacent to the pond with the skimmer mouth at the same level as the normal water level. A pump is then conventionally placed inside of the skimmer body, the function of the pump is to pump water into the skimmer body interior where it can be filtered.
Of course, in a conventional skimmer, absent a continuous source of pond water the pump may empty the skimmer interior, thereby exhausting its source of fluid which can cause the pump to cavitate, which, in turn, can possibly damage the pump. In such a circumstance—and assuming that operating the pump in the absence of fluid has not damaged it to the point of inoperability—it may be necessary to prime the pump before it can be made operable again, which is, at minimum, an inconvenience.
The conventional arrangement, i.e., one where the skimmer is placed outside of the pool, can give rise to a variety of problems. For example, it is customary to line artificial ponds with a thin plastic or rubber pond liner to separate the impounded water from the earth beneath, thereby improving water clarity and decreasing water loss through the contact with the ground. Of course, this liner must somehow be brought up to the mouth of the skimmer and sealed thereto. As is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, this seal between the liner and the skimmer is subject to failure through poor installation, subsequent failure of the sealing adhesive due to exposure to sunlight or weather extremes, movement of the skimmer within its cavity in the ground, and many other possible factors As a consequence, water leaks through an imperfect seal between the skimmer and the pond liner are a frequent source of water loss and resultant aggravation to the owner.
In another common arrangement, a floating skimmer is utilized, wherein skimmer is largely free to float about the surface of the pond. In such an arrangement, the pump would typically be situated on the bottom of the pond and would be placed in fluid communication with the floating skimmer portion via some length of flexible plastic tubing. However, such arrangements have the disadvantage that the skimmer might be situated near the center of the pond when time comes to remove debris from it. Further, placement of the pump on the bottom of the pond makes it relatively inaccessible if a need for service arrives.
Heretofore, as is well known in the ornamental ponds arts, there has been a need for an invention to address and solve the above-described problems. Accordingly, it should now be recognized, as was recognized by the present inventor, that there exists, and has existed for some time, a very real need for a device that would address and solve the above-described problems.
Before proceeding to a description of the present invention, however, it should be noted and remembered that the description of the invention which follows, together with the accompanying drawings, should not be construed as limiting the invention to the examples (or preferred embodiments) shown and described. This is so because those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains will be able to devise other forms of this invention within the ambit of the appended claims.